BEIJING (Reuters). Xi Jinping, the Chinese President, told ASEAN leaders from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), that Beijing will not bully its regional neighbors. The summit was held on Monday amid growing tensions over the South China Sea.

Beijing claims territorial rights over the ocean clash with many Southeast Asian countries and has raised concern from Washington to Tokyo.

Xi stated that China will not seek hegemony or use its size to force smaller countries to follow it. He said that China would instead work with ASEAN in order to eradicate “interference”.

“China was and will remain a good friend, good neighbor and good partner for ASEAN,” Chinse state media quotes Xi saying.

China’s assertion of sovereignty over the South China Sea has set it against ASEAN members Vietnam and the Philippines, while Brunei, Taiwan and Malaysia also lay claim to parts.

The Philippines on Thursday condemned https://www.reuters.com/world/china/philippines-condemns-chinese-coast-guards-action-south-china-sea-2021-11-18 the actions of three Chinese coast guard vessels that it said blocked and used water cannon on resupply boats headed towards a Philippine-occupied atoll in the sea.

Friday’s Chinese provocative actions were called “dangerous and unacceptable” by the United States. It warned that any armed attack against Philippine vessels could trigger U.S. defense commitments.

Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines stated that he abhorse the incident and called for the rule to be applied. A 2016 international arbitration ruling found China’s maritime claim was without legal basis.

Duterte said, “This doesn’t speak well about the relations between our countries,” and he will be leaving office in January. He has been criticised for not condemning China’s behavior in the disputed water disputes in the past.

ASEAN countries Brunei, Cambodia and Indonesia.

MYANMAR – NO SHOW

Xi stated that China and ASEAN had “cast aside the gloomy of the Cold War”, when the region was wracked with superpower competition, conflicts like the Vietnam War, and had maintained regional stability.

China is known to criticize the United States’ “Cold War thinking”, when Washington uses its regional allies in an effort to repel Beijing’s economic growth.

In October, the U.S. President Joe Biden joined ASEAN leaders at a virtual summit. He pledged increased engagement.

On Monday, Malaysia’s Foreign Ministry Saifuddin Abdullah stated that the summit took place without Myanmar’s representative. There was no immediate explanation for this, as a spokesperson from Myanmar’s military government declined to comment.

ASEAN excluded Min Aung Hlaing from its summits, citing his inability to implement a peace plan and leading a violent crackdown against dissenters since he took power Feb. 1.

Myanmar declined to send junior representatives and ASEAN was blamed for violating its non-interference principle, and bowing to Western pressure.

Diplomatic sources claim that Min was invited by China to the summit.